NYU Meyers Announces Inaugural Awardees for Designation of Excellence in Person-Centered Long-Term Care

HIGN (The Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing) at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing, a leader in advancing age-sensitive and equitable care for older adults, has named the inaugural recipients of The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation Designation of Excellence in Person-Centered Long-Term Care.

The Mayer-Rothschild Designation of Excellence recognizes long-term care communities’ commitment to quality care for older adults that embraces the unique experiences of each resident. Grounded in the values of respect, integrity, and dignity, person-centered care recognizes one’s preferences and needs and provides an environment that encourages individual decision-making.

The inaugural awardees are:

• Beatitudes Campus in Phoenix, AZ
• Garden Spot Communities in New Holland, PA
• Sequoia Living in California, including:
  • The Sequoias San Francisco in San Francisco
  • The Sequoias Portola Valley in Portola Valley
  • The Tamalpais Marin in Greenbrae
  • Viamonte at Walnut Creek in Walnut Creek
• The Cedars in Portland, ME
• The New Jewish Home in New York, NY

“When seeking out long-term care, many older adults and their families want communities that empower residents and honor their preferences, but these person-centered approaches can be difficult for families to assess from a website or visit. The creation of The Mayer-Rothschild Designation of Excellence—and recognition of these five communities—are important steps towards ensuring that person-centeredness is increasingly embedded in the culture of long-term care,” said Tara Cortes, PhD, RN, FAAN, executive director of HIGN, clinical professor at NYU Meyers, and principal investigator on the project.

“The vision for The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation Designation of Excellence in Person-Centered Long-Term Care was conceived by Dr. Robert Nathan Mayer in 2009, then President of the Hulda B. and Maurice L. Rothschild Foundation. Dr. Mayer believed that all elders deserve the opportunity for personalized choice, regardless of their financial circumstances. And that elders, their families and society should seek out this designation as an expected standard of care for their loved ones. It has taken a growing village of talented collaborators and researchers, on an inspiring but arduous journey, to be in sight of this Designation of Excellence, thanks to unified dedication to Dr. Mayer’s vision and now his memory,” said Debra E Weese-Mayer, MD, President and Chair of The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation. 

The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation Designation of Excellence in Person-Centered Long-Term Care instruments were developed by HIGN based on scientific studies on person-centered care along with surveys and interviews with thousands of long-term care residents, families, and staff across the United States. The resulting tools, standards, and measures are used to guide and evaluate nursing homes, assisted living communities, and dementia and memory care residences as they pursue the Designation of Excellence.

In order to earn The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation Designation of Excellence in Person-Centered Long-Term Care, staff participate in educational programming about person-centered care, complete surveys about if and how different domains are present in their workplaces and provide supporting documentation. Older adults living in long-term care communities are also given the opportunity to share their experiences through written and phone surveys. Using these assessments, HIGN identifies areas for improvement and partners with long-term care staff to develop quality improvement plans, ensuring organizations’ ongoing commitment to providing person-centered care.

 “Listening to older adults is central to this work. Not only did input from long-term care residents inform the development of our instruments to assess for the Designation of Excellence, but residents have a voice in evaluating how well their own communities honor and respect their values,” added Cortes. 

HIGN will continue its work to expand Designation of Excellence through an additional $400,000 award to NYU Meyers from The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation, which will fund outreach to and engagement with 30 additional long-term care communities across the US. The goal is to further validate the instruments used to assess quality and commitment to person-centered care, continue to build the model for a national program, and increasing awareness of this essential designation.

The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation, an operating foundation located in Chicago, is the only philanthropic organization in the United States dedicated to promoting person-centered care in long-term, residential communities serving older adults. This award recognizes and honors the paradigm-shifting accomplishments of Robert Nathan Mayer, PhD, and his unique contributions to improving the built environment and developing best practices in person-centered care through policy change. The goal is to offer a standard and a blueprint for all organizations offering residential care to attain excellence, thereby honoring Dr. Mayer’s vision of the critical importance of “listening to the voice of those receiving and deserving this level of care.”